Rails of Time
by Carriedreamer
Summary: Post ST- Link of Aboda Village and Princess Zelda of New Hyrule have had a terrible falling out,but when granting an old friend one last favor, Link and Zelda find themselves confronted by bth an old enemy and a past that's been hidden from them both.


Ahaha, another reason Destiny Comes in the strangest of packages is late. After finishing Spirit Tracks the writing bug has struck again and thus I write a Spirit Tracks Wind waker cross over XDDD

**Disclaimer- I do not own the Legend of Zelda series, all rights belong to Nintendo. **

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* * *

"The Spirits which have watched over this land for are turning from us… its only a matter of time… a matter of time before… time repeats itself…" She sat in her chair, the silver ringlets streaming over her shoulders with the golden crown topping her head becoming slightly loose. _

_"Grandmother…?" The little girl leaned on her grandmother's knee murmured. _

_"I grow old dear one, grow so old… and yet so much needs to be told to you… to prepare you for what is to come." She stroked the little blonde's cheek. _

_"Grandmother… you're ill you should-."_

_"Yes… I am old… I am ill… I am not long for this world… I can do no more for the safety of this which I fought and protected for so long. I leave it to you dear child."_

_"Grandmother…."_

_"Never forget what and who you are my dear Zelda… never in all your life forget them... and who you are…"_

_"Who you are…."_

_"Never forget…."_

_"Never…."_

_"Never…. forget...."_

She gasped outloud, and jolted upright from her bed. She held her head in her hand, blinking repeatedly and rubbing her eyes sleepily. She got up, bare feet touching the warm carpet on the otherwise cold stone floor and passed her desk, still strewn with various papers and documents she just didn't have the mind to look at now. She'd been putting them off but what did it matter now… at so late an hour…

She felt a chill in the air and reached for her pink silken robe, covering her thin shoulders, and closed her eyes. Still even after two years she relished in the everyday common wind, still tangy with the fresh sea salt from the east and west, and the blistery winds which came with it. After hr near death experience, and the whole thing was still a blur to her really, shocking as it was to believe for everyone else. Her time as a … spirit was just liked a faded memory to her, the experience of being there… but not really being _there, _for some an unnatural chill, others a strange foreboding over their shoulder, and even more others, as she had screamed for help in despair just a trickle of a sound, perhaps a faint whisper, easily brushed aside.

She dreamed of it still, dreamed of those dark and haunted empty halls, the pitch black caves, the shrill screeches of a train nearly crashing.

And then… laughter.

Laughter which haunted her thoughts and dreams, every time she ventured out of her castle she still found herself putting her guard up, ever watchful of the horizon, to see if any change had come to the looming structure to the east of her home.

She leaned against her windowsil, and looked over her kingdom, the series of train tracks leading in all different directions, the occasional crossroads and slight damaged tracs from when a train had to stop too fast….

She shivered at the memory, oh he had HATED to do that…. He was always n such a rotten mood afterwards, stopping at the nearest stop and personally checking every part of his train to make sure it was still in top condition. Maybe it was an engineer's thing, but she remembered being fascinated by it, the boy who she saw become a near bloodthirsty warrior at a stroke was so gentle with an inaimnate object, he was socially awkward but when it came to his beloved train….

She shook her head. Here she goes again, becoming lost in her throughts, at near dawn she was standing half clothed at her window becoming lost in memories which half her kingdom she knew didn't even believe her in the first place.

The kingdom had only come that close to destruction, nevermind the fact that it would have been done in her…. She blinked and shook her head. No, thinking of that she'd never be able to drift back to sleep!

Best let the past be behind her, be behind everyone, what did the past matter?

She turned her head from the window and walked back to her bed, willing the dreams not to come to her again. She wished for a night of peace… just one… was that all too much to ask?

* * *

" And as that train came speeding towards them, the hero had no choice but to slam on his reverse brake and-."

One little boy raised his hand. " Yeah well why didn't he just blast the thing away."

Another but in, " Yeah you expecting us to believe some invincible train was running around and the whole kingdom didn't know it."

" I think you're going batty old man."

" Yeah."

The older man was left flabbergasted, and his stuttering only made things worse, Link closed his eyes in a combination of annoyance and pity for his elderly roommate who lately had been telling everyone who would listen about the latest conquest of the darkness in the land. Naturally, everyone thought he had gone insane.

He had misjudged how quickly a cover story could be put together by the royal government and how quickly he would grow disgusted with the whole thing. Lying to one's people to protect them… didn't sound like much PROTECTION to him, but what was he to know. He was only a lowly engineer, she was the "light of Hyrule." The keeper of peace, the most benovelant ruler-. " Give me a break." He mumbled to himself. A fake that was what she was. A faker who after everything she went though went right back to her royal duties and kept up the same bull of a government where she was basically a pretty firgurehead that she'd tried so desperately to escape.

It had been the last straw for Link. He refused to stay near such a farce and went back to the pure world he knew, away from half crazed princesses and eveil forces and those damned bomb trains which were spawned from hell, Link still heard the damn things in the his sleep for God sakes! He buzzed his lips in frustration and continued making repairs to his beloved train.

Damned birds!

" Link m'boy!" He rolled his eyes and rolled out from under the train.

" Alfonzo, busy, give." Without even turning around he held his hand out and his mentor plopped a piece of paper in his hands and went stright back to work.

" Looks important." He said pointedly.

" Royal seal?" Link said offhandedly while turning his wrench, oil spillng oil all over his fce. He growled an obscenity and spat the gunk out.

" Yes." Alfonzo heard another soft swear

Link shoved it in his pocket and went back to work."

" Are you going to read it?"

" When I'm done with my train."

" Which means never."

"Yep."

His burly mentor shook his head, " I've never heard of such blantant disregard for the royal family, Link I oughtta-." He scolded.

Link cast a piercing gaze towards the man and he stopped dead. Link was an ordinary looking fellow, there was really nothing special about him lookwise, but those damn eyes of his, when he got angry, a whole other Link emerged from the one everyone else knew.

This Link was scary and the look he was giving Alfonzo, clearly the best warrior in the kingdom to the public made him quickly back off, he had never asked what the kid had gone through two years ago, and Link didn't talk about it… ever.

All he knew was that afterwards Link had developed an innate and utter hatred for… rabbits… among other strange quirks…

One more quick twist and he heard the passages cleared up almost immediately and he grinned. " There ya go old firiend. He patted the train affectionately. " All better." He stretched out and emerged from under the train. He scratched his neck and popped his back and he sniffed under his arm he recoiled. " Ew, shower time." Throwing the slimy rag over his shoulder he headed back towards his small home on the south side of the village.

He looked to the side though to see where Niko was, and flinched when he saw the old man sitting on his bench, lke usual, but hunched over, his breathing heavy and labored. '

He bit his lip. He told the old man he should stay inside but he wouldn't listen…. And Link knew if he tried to make him the old man would never forgive him.

Niko suddenly broke out into a terrible coughing fit and spat into his hankerchief, which Link noticed wih a grimace was now a murky clouded red.

* * *

"Teacher." She said with her arms crossed at the window.

" Yes Princess?" The older man said wearily, she hadn't moved from that spot for a good few hours now.

" When will he arrive." She tapped her foot impatiently.

" Princess it will probably take a few days for the message to reach Aboda. Now for the task at hand-."

She interrupted him, " I sent it two days ago!" She protested shrilly. " He's ignoring me! Childish cad!"

Teacher shook his head glumly, " It is arguable that may be the case but Princess you have much more important-."

" Well I refuse to be treated like some kind of annoying girl! He had better-." She stopped and then turned from the window, " No you are right Teacher… I should not be…. Its's just." She walked over to her desk now brimming with paperwork and picked up a framed photo which had been next to another framed illustration of some kind. " We used to be so close. Look at this one here, during the founding festival!" She shoved the photo at Teacher's face, showing a prettily smiling girl and a beaming boy. Teacher nodded and boldly took the princess's hand in his own and patted it gently,

" Your highness I am aware of how this boy's apparent ignoring of you must be hurtful to you, but the Princess and sovereign of Hyrule can not simply moon over a boy like some kind of silly schoolgirl!"

She flushed a deep red, " I'm not mooning-!" She protested loudly, face growing redder as she said it. Then as if to prove him wrong she sat in her chair and started frantically signing papers left from right, in a whiplash. Teacher rolled his eyes but sat down in his smaller seat by her side and helped her conduct business as usual

She stopped in mid signature and her eyes trailed to the window again. He shook his head. " No Princess."

She pouted and went back to what she had been doing.

* * *

_**My dear sir, **_

_** Due to unresponsive actions from he to whom this letter is now addressed to I must now INSIST you, Mr Link of Aboda Village, third class engineer of the crow, do in all haste, hasten to my prescence in due haste. I am most disturbed that you have whether in accidental or plain ignorance chosen to ignore my humble and poite requests towards my good sir to come experience the glories of Castle town, and must now implore you as to why my good sir, mine and your actions have in the good of the kingdom been sorely forgotten by you my good sir. I do now humbly request some correspendence just so I can be sure of your comfort in your stay. **_

_** Yours,**_

_** Her highness the princess Royal, **_

_** Zelda **_

He grimaced. That was cold. Not that he didn't deserve it he supposed. He was taking his frustration with her damned councilors out on her. Kind of rude he guessed.

He scratched his head in confusion. Now what was he going to do? Like those councilors would even let him near her anyway, a common engineer was all he was anyway to the rest of the world. Except the Gorons and Anouki they actually respected him, and knew him for what he was, the other townspeople conveniently had forgotten everything they had witnessed, Link was sure with a handsome rupee pay off.

They'd gotten rid of him pretty fast. First trying to offer him some kind of insulting bribe which had slowly turned to threats. He'd lose his license, his livlihood, his mentor would find himself charged with some kind of crime, his roommate, Niko wa sit? Well wasn't he looking a bit ill…? Oh the threats went on. Link knew a takeover when he saw one, now that that bastard Cole was gone there were plenty vying for the place he once had.

They'd NEVER let Zelda rule on her own, no matter how capable she was, they would keep her a prisoner forever at this point. Probably marry her off to one of their own when she was old enough to legally marry but not old enough to protest and he'd find himself in ditch dead somewhere soon enough.

He'd tried… he'd begged her to see the light, but she'd either been too stubborn or too blind to see it, and they'd fought. He hadn't seen her now for over six months.

He added the latest letter to the large pile in his dresser, tied with a piece of twine.

" Sorry Zel. Can't do it." He shook his head. " Can't watch ya be manipulated." He murmured.

" Ahaha. Link M' boy you'r ehurtin' no one but yeeself you know."

He grimaced. " What do you know Niko?" Senile old bat.

The older man tottered towards him chuckling, " I tell ya again, every day you be remindin me more of him every day, and your ways wih the wee lasses, another reason."

Link fought the urge to roll his eyes, and he folded his working clothes and put them bck in the dresser. " I remind you of "him" say whe is "him" going to have a name, you always say I remind you of some old friend of yours, the same one who gave you that shield right, the adventurer, who is he Niko?"

The old man's face fell and he turned from the boy. " Link lad, I already told ya, he died a long time ago. But he'd be proud to see ya and that there shield of his bein' put to good use."

He blinked. " Same answer you always give me." He grumbled.

" But eh. Lad? I have somethin' t ask of ya?"

He turned to his older roommate, " What is it?"

The old man looked sheepishly at the floor, but then after wringing his hand with his cane he took a deep breath, " Lad… ya know my time here is limited-."

" Oh come on Niko. You're fit as a fiddle, you coul live for another hundred years if you wanted to-."

The buck toothed man smiled sadly, " Ah but that's my point lad, I am over one hundred, I've outlived all my old companions and friends. I be the last one left of the original settlers."

Link was startled, " You were one of the-?!"

He nodded, " Link, my boy, I have one last request to make of you, in my last days I want to be surrounded by the spirits of my old companions, in the place we helped build, lad I want to breath my last in Castle town."

Link was taken aback, and then grimaced, Niko seemed to sense this and nodded, " Ye don't have to stay long Laddie, I have a room in the inn and one of my old friend's granddaughters has agreed to take care of me in honor of her grandmother ya know. I just need a ride."

" Niko."

" Link. I've raised ya like my own since you were a wee babe left an orphan by a dead mother and father. I never had a family of me own, and I watched all m old companions rave and talk about their young'ins and I could never join in, btu now I can. Cause you knw what, my boy, yes MY boy, the one I raised, became the hero." He raised his cane in the air. " Ya hear that Gonzo! My boy not yours! The lad I raised!" He yelled upwards, " Yee said I'd amount to nothin' well look at me now, proud father figure to the greatest warrior in the land-!" He slammed the cane down and suddenly gasped for breath and began coughing again. Link grabbed for his old friend in alarm,

" N-Niko!?" he steadied the old man. He gasped and hunched over his chair in agony, his cane trembling as his wrinkled hands tried to steady it. Link bit his lip, and kneeled to the old man's level.

Hyrule Castle Town… the one place he'd been trying to avoid like the plague but nonetheless he knew what he had to do…

"… How's tomorrow morning sound old friend…" He murmured.

The old man looked at him, feeling tears of the old begin to gather in his eyes, as he nodded gratefully. Link guided him to his bed and tucked the old man in well.

He crossed his arms and cast a nervous gaze at his dresser.

Being in Castle Town…. Without a word to a certain girl who happened to be a princess already out for his head….

He gulped. The things he did for his elders!!!

He began to wonder with dread... if this castle visit... HE'D be the one who would end up as a spirit....

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Hope you enjoyed it =) Feel free to leave reviews of course


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